The Beginning of the End
by kaji21
Summary: Shepard and his team have destroyed the Collectors, now they must face the advancing Reaper threat. Can he save the galaxy and break the cycle? Shepard/Tali. ON HOLD
1. So It Begins

So... I fell in love with the Mass Effect characters, plot, and storyline. The game itself is one of the best I've ever played (well, both of them are) and is very riveting. I then wanted to write a story detailing how I would do the third installment of the series. Hopefully you will all go easy on me, I still need to study all the info about the Mass Effect universe thoroughly but I could not help but begin writing already.

Please, try and be kind. I'm not too experienced a writer, but I think I write well in any case. Also, I will assume you are reading this because you have already played the games and so know about the characters already. I will not go through the trouble of fully reintroducing them to you. Also, I left out Zaeed from this story. I felt like there were too many characters already and I never actually downloaded him. Also, this will turn out to be an eventual Shepard/Tali but for the beginning of this they are not yet together.

On another note, this chapter picks up from the end of the 2nd game - so you'll recognize the dialogue with TIM, but other than that its my story.

Thanks.

**kaji21**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mass Effect or the amazing universe Bioware has created for us, I am merely playing around with what they have already done and making some story out of it. :)**  
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**So It Begins**

_It was done. The Collector base was destroyed and Commander Shepard and his elite team were heading back through the Omega-4 Relay. They had sustained some injuries, but everyone survived. They were returning from what was supposed to be a suicide mission,_ _and it was but the beginning of the next and final chapter of the Reaper threat._

"Holy shit Commander, we did it! We blew the Collectors out of the water!... err.. galaxy, actually if you want to be technical." Joke smiled, swiveling in his chair with his hands up in the air. "And we made it without losing my baby. For a moment there I thought we might lose her... again. I'd rather not go through that experience again."

Shepard shook his head and, grinning, he replied, "Glad to see you were worried about us too, Joker."

"Well of course, Commander. I'm just saying, it would have sucked to lose the Normandy a second time... or you... or well, you get my drift."

Shepard waved him off as he turned and walked away, still grinning.

"So does this mean we can finally get some good shore leave?" called the pilot.

"Commander, the Illusive Man wants to speak with you," EDI, the ship's AI, spoke.

"Oh, does he now?" he headed for the Communications Room.

As the doors slid open, he stopped for a moment as he realized the entire team was there. The entire room was silent, he guessed they were all feeling some shock and maybe some relief... or disbelief. Or both. He grinned again. "Best damn team in the galaxy..." he whispered to himself, and at that he saw Thane look at him and nod.

"So everyone's here to watch me, huh?" he said as he strode towards the table in the center of the room. The hologram of the Normandy that floated over the table disappeared as the table itself slowly lowered itself to the floor. He stepped onto the table and in a few seconds he was in front of the Illusive man in his large office, at least holographically.

"Shepard. You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money," the Illusive Man said, tapping his cigarette on the ashtray in his armrest.

"Sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you. I'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line," Shepard growled back.

"Don't try my patience," TIM retorted, "The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy. Against the Reapers and beyond."

"Human dominance or just Cerberus?" Shepard pointed at him, his eyes alight and his tone hard.

The Illusive Man stood up and walked over to Shepard's hologram, "Strength for Cerberus is strength for humanity. Cerberus _is _humanity." He pointed back at Shepard, cigarette between his fingers, "I should've known you'd choke on the hard decisions. Too idealistic from the start."

"I'm not looking for your approval. Harbinger is coming and he won't be alone. Humanity needs a leader who's looking out for them," he told the Illusive Man, "From now on I'm doing things my way, whether you agree or not." He made a slicing motion with his hand as he finished, his jaw firm.

TIM stepped even closer, taking a short pull from his cigarette. Smoke exhaling from his mouth, he spat, "Don't turn your back on me, Shepard! I made you. I brought you back from the dead."

"Joker, lose this channel," Shepard said as he turned around and walked off the table.

"Well done, Shepard," Garrus said, the Turian clicking his mandibles in approval.

Shepard smirked at that.

"So," said Miranda, his XO, "What now, Commander?"

He turned around and faced his team. "It's not over yet. What we did, what we accomplished, was phenomenal. We did the impossible, and I'm damn proud of you all for what you've done." He looked at each of them, his gaze sweeping the room, "But it only gets harder from here. We'll be docking at the Citadel soon, and if you wish to part ways with me you can do so then. I will not hold you here unless you want to continue on with me, but I will not rest until the Reapers are defeated. If you decide to leave I-"

"Do you really expect any of us to leave? After all we've been through and with the entire galaxy at stake?" Jacob interrupted him.

"Yes. Too much at stake. You are only one who seems to get things done. Will stay until end," Mordin agreed.

"Well, I've come this far. Besides, I don't think the Illusive Man would be too happy with me right now," Miranda said with a smirk.

"This platform has been integrated onto the ship, and the Geth stand ready to assist you," Legion said, his head flaps moving to mimic talking movements.

"I will stay with you," Samara stated plainly, her eyes glowing blue.

Tali nodded at him, "I am with you, Shepard."

Jack rolled her eyes and then smiled, "I'm having fun here. Besides, all the action happens around you anyway and I wouldn't want to miss out on that."

"Hmm.. stay with you, or return to C-Sec. Tough choice, Shepard.." Garrus joked as he too nodded, "I'm in."

Shepard looked at Thane, who seemed lost in his memories, gazing at something on the floor. "Shepard," he started, almost unsure of himself, "You know of my condition. I do not expect myself to live for too much longer, and... I would like to spend my final moments with my son. I am sorry. Besides, I am a hazard to the mission and the team if I remain in your service for at any moment I can collapse due to the severity of my illness."

Shepard nodded, "I understand."

Kasumi nodded, "I can fill in for Thane's role on the team, though I'm not as good a shot," she grinned slightly at him.

Grunt chuckled and slammed his right fist into his open left palm, making a loud smacking noise. He nodded at Shepard and grinned, saying nothing.

Shepard smiled, "Alright then, return to your stations. We'll have some shore leave when we get back to the Citadel before we get started again. Besides, I'm sure I have much to discuss with our galactic leaders. Dismissed."

Shepard laid back in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room, arms folded behind his head. Even after all he... no, they had done it was still not over. In fact, it had barely just begun. What they've gone through seemed like only the tip of the iceberg. He felt a little overwhelmed. While there were clear, direct, and immediate goals he had little time to contemplate the gravity of the whole situation, of how much was riding on him. Now, he had the time, and he did think about it.

The fate of the entire galaxy rested on his shoulders, and of course on his team. It was a heavy burden, and one that he was still unsure he could hold. But he was damned sure to try his best do so. Defeating an entire armada of Reapers seemed truly impossible, but he wouldn't shy away from the challenge. If he did, they would all be doomed. Besides, he'd been making a habit of doing the impossible anyhow.

"Commander, ETA to the Citadel is five minutes." Joker spoke through the comm.

Shepard sighed, closed his eyes for a full minute, then got out of bed. It was time to do work. He suited up.

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**AN: **hope you liked it!


	2. The Council

Here's the second chapter. They'll get progressively longer, I expect most chapters to be at least 7000+ words. My plot will unfold in due time.

**kaji21**

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**The Council  
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"Hey Commander, you're not going to stick it to the Council too, are you? I mean, that would be awesome and definitely warranted, buuut... I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, if you were thinking about it. Just my two cents," Joker said as Shepard walked over to stand behind him.

The Citadel loomed in front of them, her arms stretched open in an inviting manner. The enormous dreadnought, _Destiny Ascension_, cast a long shadow on them as they passed by it.

"_Normandy_, you are requested to dock at Alliance Embassy Dock 2. Do you copy?" the comm channel came to life.

Joker gave a quick look to the commander before he acknowledged. "Looks like they're expecting you, Commander."

"I'll bet," Shepard said, "Oh, and Joker? Could you make sure to scratch out the Cerberus markings on the vessel while we're docked. Also, have the crew comb the ship for any more of these Cerberus spying devices, EDI should be able to help you with that."

"I have already located all of them, Commander," EDI chimed, "I will relay their locations to the crew for immediate removal."

Shepard nodded, "Good job. EDI, if you find any other way that Cerberus can somehow sabotage or spy on us from within, please remedy that."

"Understood, Commander."

Shepard walked back to the CIC and saw that the members of his team were gathered around the area, waiting. Garrus stepped towards him, "Who are you taking with you? If I may, I'd like to. I'm not much of a fan of... shore leave." He clicked his mandibles.

Shepard laughed and put a hand on the turian's shoulder, "Sure thing, _Archangel_."

"Stop calling me that, Shepard! I'm serious," though he smiled as he said it, at least as much a turian can smile.

A moment later the ship slowed down to a halt and the sounds of the docking locks reverberated throughout the ship.

"Alright, everyone has a 24-hour shore leave, possibly longer depending on what's going on, but be prepared to come back sooner if necessary," Shepard said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Oh, and _behave_."

Grunt snorted at that.

"I'd like to go too, if you don't mind Shepard," Tali said from his left, and he smiled at her.

"Commander, a word if you please?" Thane said, and Shepard could tell he was trying hard to keep a straight face. They stepped to the side as the rest of the team and the crew began to leave. "It has been a great honor and pleasure to work for you, Commander. I feel... at peace, with myself."

Shepard smiled, holding up a hand to stop the drell from talking for a moment, "You have been a great friend and team member, Thane. It has been _my_ pleasure to work alongside you. Know that our thoughts will be with you. We will not forget you. In fact, if I have my way, I'll try and get a monument up for you," he said as he put a hand on the drell's shoulder.

Thane smiled, his large eyelids closing rapidly, his eyes moist. He extended a hand, which Shepard shook, and with a bow he started to leave.

"Say hello to Kolyat for me," Shepard said as Thane was walking off, "And pray to your gods for us. We'll need their help, I think."

Thane paused and gave a nod without looking back, his body stiff, then he was gone.

"Let's move out. Wouldn't want the Council to wait _too _long," said Shepard as he headed for the airlock, Garrus and Tali following closely on his heels.

They were greeted by Ambassador Udina, who looked none to pleased upon seeing him, though he seemed to never like Shepard or his crew since the beginning.

"Commander Shepard, the Council is expecting you. Follow me," he said curtly before turning around and walking away.

The trio looked at each other, Garrus shaking his head and Tali shrugging her shoulders. They walked after him, heading for the Citadel Tower and the Council.

They finally arrived at the Tower, which Shepard noted had more guards about, at least openly. Udina was a good twenty yards ahead and not once did he turn around to even check if they were following him. A few minutes later and they were in front of the Council, the four of them looking deeply troubled. Shepard noted that Anderson looked weary, though he definitely did not regret his decision to place him as humanity's Council representative. He would get things done, and besides, Shepard didn't like Udina at all.

Udina bowed to the Council and motioned for Shepard to step forward before he left, off to who knows where.

The asari Councilor spoke first, "Commander Shepard. We received your report, and it is quite... distressing."

"I trust the hard video and data evidence collected from my mission proved beyond a doubt that this was indeed a threat, yet another one you failed to recognize and trust my word on?"

"You watch your tone, Commander. You are addressing the Council," the turian Councilor responded a little angrily.

"Yes, a Council that survived because of me," he pointed out, at which the turian visibly bristled.

"Please," the asari interrupted, "This is not time for bickering. What we have now is a very serious and a very delicate matter."

Garrus clicked his mandibles loud enough for everyone to hear, and Shepard sighed inwardly at that, but said nothing.

"Commander," Councilor Anderson spoke for the first time, "The Council is convinced that the Reaper threat does indeed exist, however the extent and magnitude of the threat is still yet unknown. At this time, we will raise the Council Fleet alert level to orange, but," he paused, giving a slight grimace at what he was about to say, "we will not, at this time, authorize a full mobilization until the magnitude of the threat is assessed."

"You're joking, right?" Garrus blurted out, "This is ridiculous! After all we've-"

Shepard held up his hand, silencing Garrus, and he himself was trying hard to contain his anger and irritation. Typical of the Council, and yet he thought it would be different this time around.

"Decision is regrettable. However, must not jump too hastily until full Reaper strength is assessed. If all fleets are mobilized, will cause galactic panic and disorder. If only one, maybe two fleets are needed, much better. Must assess Reaper threat better. Also, timeline of Reaper arrival must be determined. Very important," the salarian Councilor finally spoke.

"And how do you expect to do that, exactly?" Tali interjected.

"We trust that you will find a way," the asari responded, "You have proved yourself time and time again, Commander Shepard. We are fully reinstating your Spectre status in this regard. Please, use your status wisely, remember that this is a delicate matter. Now, if there is nothing else.."

"You said one or two fleets are fine?" Shepard said, "Well then for now, give me those fleets. I might need them."

The Council looked taken aback at that, and the turian scoffed at the suggestion, "You want us to give you control over two Citadel fleets? You may have done a great many things to protect and help the Council, Commander Shepard, but we will not be so quick to hand over control of entire fleets to you."

"No, I don't want control over them. What I do want is their assistance. If I am to, as you say, 'assess the Reaper threat' properly I may need assistance. This is getting bigger every day and myself, my ship and my crew can only do so much," he said quickly.

The Councilors looked at each other, then the asari spoke, "Please give us a moment, Commander." With that they all left, returning after a few minutes of deliberations.

"We will not give you access to entire fleets, however we will allow a task force to aid you at your request," the asari said, "It is all we can give you at this time. This meeting is adjourned, good luck Commander." As the Councilors were leaving, Anderson motioned for Shepard to wait.

Several minutes later Anderson was at the base of the stairs to the Council chamber and he motioned for them to accompany him.

"I tried my best, Shepard. But they are still a stubborn lot, and though they now believe the Reapers exist, they think that they can handle them should the time come," he spoke, anger and disbelief in his voice as they walked towards the Tower elevators. "You and I know better. I'll talk to Alliance brass, see if I can get you any more help. The task force should come in handy, though I wish they would have given you even one fleet."

Shepard thanked him, knowing full well that Anderson really did all he could and that he would continue to try and help him if he can. The full Spectre reinstatement seemed to be more helpful than the task force the Council gave him, but he figured he'd have a use for the task force anyway. "How are you holding up?" he asked as he saw Anderson up close.

He looked more aged than before, the stress of Councilor responsibilities taking its toll on him. There were darker circles under his eyes and more lines on his face. Anderson clasped his hands behind his back and stopped walking. He looked up at the light streaming in through the glass windows overhead, "I'll be honest with you, I've been better. I didn't expect to spend my remaining days like this, but I appreciate and understand what you did in appointing me. I can do a lot of good, especially in helping you, but I could do so much more if the others would just listen and actually act," he said, exasperated. "How about you?"

Shepard laughed, "Well, besides the whole save the galaxy from impending annihilation bit, I'm okay."

Anderson nodded grimly at that, "I'm sure you've earned yourself a break for now, so I shall leave you to it. I'll get on Alliance High Command when I get back to my office. I'll contact your ship when I have anything for you."

Shepard gripped his hand in a firm shake, "Thank you, Councilor."

"I know you won't let us down, Shepard." They looked each other in the eyes for moment then broke off on their separate ways.

Riding the elevator down, Garrus and Tali began to gripe about the Council and Shepard let them, since they spoke what he was already thinking anyhow. Besides, they needed to get this off of their chests. When they stepped out into the Presidium, Shepard finally broke out into a full on grin as he looked at his two companions, who promptly stopped their complaining about the stupid Council.

"Alright, let's go enjoy our downtime. First stop is Flux. We've earned the rest, let's make the most of it before we have to head out and knock on hell's gates," he said. Garrus looked a little uneasy about it and Tali... well, her eyes seemed to gleam a little brighter, or perhaps it was the artificial sunlight. Shepard wasn't sure, either way he dragged them off.

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**AN: **I will go into the other characters more as well, don't you worry about a thing.


	3. Already?

Another chapter. Enoy!

(edited chapter)

**kaji21**

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**Already?  
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Grunt laughed, a deep throaty laugh, as he downed the large mug of krogan ale. He barely felt anything from the alcohol and already he had finished a dozen mugs full. And krogan ale was supposed to be one of the strongest. He pondered for a few seconds if this even was krogan ale, which he had never had before and so would not be able to tell, but he then concluded that it didn't matter and he didn't care. It tasted nice enough, and it made the scene before him more entertaining.

Miranda was barely awake, her head resting on her hands, arms propped on the table holding her head up. She groaned softly, which made Grunt snort in amusement. Turning slightly to face the krogan, she gave him as much a glare as she could muster, which made the krogan laugh and made her feel worse.

His gaze drifted to the others and he could not help but shake his head as he took another swig from his mug, which was just refilled. He was on his thirteenth round of krogan ale.

Jacob was passed out, head tilted back in his seat, arms sagging at his sides. The two engineers, Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels, were also unconscious - Donnelly was even drooling onto the table. Dr. Chakwas was rubbing her temples, shaking her head every now and then and whispering, "Stupid.." to herself. Mordin had already stumbled to the bathroom and back, and though he was still conscious, he was clearly intoxicated. He was arguing with two other salarians sitting at the table next to them, his arguments punctuated by hiccups and slight groaning sounds. Jack was the only one who was not drunk, or passed out for that matter, though she was feeling some of the effects she had made sure not to drink too much. She never had been drunk before, and she wasn't about to start now - she liked having full control of her senses at all times. Looking around Chora's Den, Grunt saw some of the other crew were about as well, but none were as entertaining. At least to Grunt.

"You're having fun," Jack commented dryly, nursing her glass.

Grunt ordered another ale and gave a sharp nod to Jack, baring his teeth in a smile, "I am!"

Truthfully, the reason Grunt was so happy was because Donnelly and Jacob both bet they could out-drink him - which in hindsight for both of them seemed like a terrible idea, but perhaps some of the alcohol had already gotten to them by that point. While Mordin tried to reason with them to back out of the bet, they somehow managed to convince him to join in. So after downing four drinks (Mordin was able to get to five), they lost, and Grunt just kept going.

Joker watched them from afar, also amused by the situation and impressed by how much Grunt can handle, at least drink-wise. He knew the krogan was tough in battle from experience, but he had never seen him out drinking before.

"So are you going to keep looking over there or are you going to look at me sometime soon?" a voice asked huskily into his ear, tingling the skin with breath.

He swallowed and then flashed a grin as he looked over at Kelly. Yeoman Kelly Chambers, who would have thought Joker would get with her?

"I was starting to think you fancied Grunt from how much you were looking at him," she teased, making him choke on air and pretend to vomit.

Joker gave her an incredulous look, "Really, Kelly? Was that necessary? I mean yo-"

She put a finger on his lips and said, "Shhh..." as she downed a shot of whatever it was she was drinking. She leaned in close to him, her eyes locking on his, and Joker could swear the room suddenly started to spin a little. Oh how he loved shore leave.

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_Later..._

Commander Shepard woke up to someone shaking him_. _He groaned, unsure of what had happened the last few hours and how he came to be asleep. Whoever was shaking him trying to wake him up was not giving up, and slowly Shepard started to hear his name being called. It was almost as if he were in the ocean swimming to the surface and someone above the water was calling out to him - the closer he got the more the sound changed from murmurs to more coherent words.

"Commander Shepard! Wake up!" the voice repeated over and over.

It sounded familiar, feminine. A few seconds later the shaking stopped and the voice disappeared as well and Shepard started to drift back into the dark embrace of sleep.

**SPLASH**

Water. _Cold _water suddenly engulfed him and he sat up almost instantly, eyes wide and mouth sputtering. He looked at the person who did it and, seeing Tali, some of his anger ebbed away, though he still glared at her.

"Sorry, commander, I had to," she shrugged as she put the glass on his side table.

"Tali..." he "What... what are you...? What's..?" he started, rubbing his forehead with his palm as he tried to clear away the fog in his mind. He vaguely remembered going to Flux with Tali and Garrus. Goodness how much did they drink? How much did _he _drink?

"We received an urgent message from Cerberus... more specifically the Illusive Man," she told him.

"What?" he said, even more confused.

Tali shook her head, "It's better if you hear it." She walked over to EDI's terminal near the door to his cabin and instructed EDI to playback the message.

_"Commander Shepard," _said the distinct voice of the Illusive Man, Shepard could even hear his slight intake of breath and could see TIM smoking in his mind, "_I know that we had some... disagreements recently, but I am willing to put that behind us. This is no time for infighting; you of all people know the stakes. I am leaving this message with you, considering that you have blocked my quantum communications, in the hopes that we can resume our little chats in the future. However, to get to the point of this message, while you were enjoying your time on the Citadel I've received some... unsettling intel._" He paused, possibly looking at the report he was about to talk about, _"It seems that our friend, the Shadow Broker, has definitively chosen sides - he's working exclusively for the Reapers now. Don't ask how I know, I do, however I wouldn't put it past the Shadow Broker to know that we now know and so he may be ready for us. I've narrowed down his location to three places, but I suggest you see your former teammate, Liara T'Soni for help on this matter. I am sure she would be most interested in this data to begin with and may prove valuable in catching him. I've attached the data Cerberus has compiled to this message, hopefully next time I won't have to do this - someone may be listening in."_

"Well, that's not much of a surprise," were Shepard's first words. In truth, in the back of his mind he had expected as much.

Tali leaned on the wall, her helmeted head resting tilting to rest on it, as she said, "So what now, commander?"

"We find the bastard. See what he knows and turn him in to the Council."

"And if he doesn't want to go peacefully?"

Shepard gave her a serious look, "Then the Council will just be getting a report." He stood and activated the ship's comm, "Joker, get us to Ilium, ASAP."

"Aye, aye commander. On a side note, by the way, we_ barely_ finished shore leave and now we're on the roll again. I mean, I'll be honest I'm not a hundred percent sober right now. We should think about spacing out these missions sometime..." came the reply.

He rolled his eyes at Joker's comments and then looked at Tali, "So, on a less serious note... why were you...?" he couldn't ask her straight out about it. As soon as he asked that, he could have sworn he saw her blush under the glass of her helmet.

"I volunteered to wake you up," she offered, almost hesitantly.

He nodded. Right. She came up all the way from engineering to wake him up. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of that, he sighed, he couldn't think of that right now. "Alright, well... thanks. I'll see you later, Tali."

She looked at him for a moment before she left, and Shepard forced himself not to think about what could have happened - if anything _did _happen for that matter. He had a job to do first, he could think about it later.

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They reached Ilium about an hour later and Shepard, along with Tali and Garrus, left to go see Liara. The commander left strict orders that no one else was to leave the ship unless needed, mostly to show that while they did have their fun at the Citadel, now that it was over it was all business again.

"How much do you think she's uncovered since last we spoke to her?" Garrus asked no one in particular.

Shepard shrugged and responded by saying, "No clue, but she's been after him for years, if not longer. She has her nose on his trail."

"Or her's," Tali corrected, slightly miffed that they would instantly assume it was a guy.

Garrus clicked his mandibles.

A few minutes later and they were shown into Liara's office, this time by a new assistant. Hopefully one who was more trustworthy, though Liara probably quadruple checked her background and interrogated her thoroughly to be sure.

Liara was busy looking at files on her terminal when they entered. She nodded to acknowledge their arrival but did not look up just yet, her eyes squinting as she read through whatever it was quickly. Still without looking up from her computer screen, she said, "Shepard. Garrus. Tali... You know, this makes me think about the old days. Has it really been that long? So good to see you."

They greeted her back, and Garrus noted the new assistant to her.

"Yes, Mia. I've made sure she isn't in the Shadow Broker's pay. I also informed her of what happened to her predecessor, hopefully if the Shadow Broker does approach her with an offer she won't be stupid enough to accept it," Liara said, finally looking up at them. "Oh, and I believe congratulations are in order. You have again done the impossible, Shepard," she gave him a small smile, "Beating the Collectors, at the center of the galaxy no less."

Shepard rubbed the back of his head at that, "Oh, you know, just another day, doing my thing."

Garrus snorted and Tali shook her head at that statement as he grinned. Still smiling, Liara asked them what they were doing back on Ilium.

"We need your help," the commander stated simply.

Liara leaned back in her chair, interested, "With what?"

"I'm surprised you don't know."

"Well, I may have my connections, but my network is not as large or as sophisticated as Cerberus'."

Shepard leaned forward and, using his omni-tool, uploaded the data Cerberus had on the Shadow Broker.

Liara's eyes widened to the point where Shepard thought they might pop out, her mouth slightly open, "Do you know what I would have done to get this information?" she shook her head in disbelief. She quickly went to work at her terminal correlating all the data she had gathered with the Cerberus data.

"Cerberus narrowed down the Shadow Broker's location to three planets. We were hoping you could shed light on the matter," he said.

Liara gave a full smile this time, her teeth showing as she finished whatever she was doing at her computer. "The Shadow Broker isn't on any of these planets, but his direct agents are there and they will know where he is. In truth, I suspect he has his own space station, just like the Illusive Man." From the looks on their faces, at least the one's without helmets, Liara could tell they weren't too happy about that piece of knowledge.

"Unfortunate, but true," she continued, "The Shadow Broker is good at hiding, but this is as close as _anyone_ has ever gotten to uncovering his whereabouts. Any one of these three agents should know where he is, we just need to capture one of them and get them to talk."

His mandibles extending slightly, Garrus shook his head a little, "It won't be that easy... as per usual."

Shepard stood, followed by the other two, and thanked Liara for her help.

That was when Liara stood up as well, a determined look in her eyes, "I want to go with you, Shepard."

He gave her a nod, "Let's go."

She hesitated, however, a conflicted on her face. "Could you give me a few hours? I have some things to attend to first. As much I'd like to go immediately, I have worked too hard and invested so much to get where I am today and I... cannot let it all go. I have put too much into this... please understand, Shepard."

He looked at her, part of him wanting to agree to wait while the other wanting to go already since the more they waited the less likely they were to capture these agents. He believed that Cerberus' information was top-notch, but the Illusive Man said himself that the Shadow Broker and his people might hear that they know his direct agents and could be coming after them. However, he needed Liara's help in this matter - she might be able to piece it together better than anyone else.

Finally, he agreed and told her to meet him on the _Normandy_ when she was done. "Oh, and Liara? Please don't take too long." The asari bowed her head and sat down at her terminal, calling Mia in as the three left. She had a lot to fit into the span of a few hours, and she knew she would have to leave Mia with some of her projects. Hopefully she wouldn't blow it... or be too effective and essentially replace her.

"We're seriously going to wait for her?" Garrus asked incredulously as they headed for the ship.

Shepard nodded, jaw firm, "We need her."

Tali shook her head, reaching up to touch her helmet as she did so, "I hope you're right, commander."

Boarding the _Normandy_, he went straight to Joker and told him they were going to head to the nearest of the three planets once Liara was on board.

Joker grumbled, "Already?" but then said nothing else as his hands flew over the control, prepping the ship.

Roughly four hours later, Liara finally got on board. The airlock hissed shut, EDI chimed that the ship was sealed and ready, and they undocked in a matter of minutes. Their destination: the planet Talis Fia located in the Urla Rast system of The Shrike Abyssal.

* * *

**AN: **And there it is. It's only slightly longer than the last one, but I promised they would be successively longer. The next chapter should be over 5000 words.


End file.
